Dianna's Visit
by Hollywoodx4
Summary: "Her breath caught in her throat and she kept her focus on her camera, mostly just trying to figure out what he was doing. His finger touched the bottom of her chin and he lifted it so her eyes met his. She hesitated, unsure of herself..."  Overgron
1. Day 1

**Disclaimer/Warning: This is an Overgron story, as in Chord Overstreet and Dianna Agron. Obviously none of this is true, and don't waste your time if you don't like it. I'm talking to you, trolls.**

**Enjoy!**

He had invited her up to visit him in late July and there was no way she could've said no even if she had wanted to. Chord spent most of that phone conversation describing what they would do when she got there, including a family party he may or may not have purposely planned for a day she would be there. With all of the talking he did about her, he desperately wanted his family to meet the girl behind all of the stories he had told. They were curious too, of course. Never had they seen his eyes shine the way they did when he told them about the time she initiated a dance party on the bus, or when they went to dinner just the two of them during one of their days off in London. His isters thought it was cute, his brother just smiled and ruffled his hair, telling him this wasn't the only time he'd feel like this for a girl. He wrote off what his brother said, though. Dianna was different, he knew it.

Although they knew word of Dianna being in Tennessee would get out eventually, a driver picked her up from the airport the day she arrived. They wanted her visit to be as peaceful and press-free as possible. She took pictures from the plane, gawking at the flat plains of what she assumed were just fields and farmland. There were few buildings, and the few there were had been scattered across the land so that there were fields between them. This was much different from her home in California, where her neighbors were just a flight of stairs away from her.

The flight was long, and she did her best to entertain herself. By the time the attendant said they were about to touch down her first memory card was already half of the way full with random pictures of scenery and the plane itself, the battery of her iPhone drained dangerously close to red. Having flown in first class she was one of the first off of the plane, and as she stepped through the jet way she tugged her hat farther over her head, hoping she wouldn't get noticed. She found her luggage without much difficulty and met her driver at the gate. He was wearing a suit like most, but his sign read Fuller instead of Agron, another little detail she would've overlooked if Chord hadn't reminded her.

She was giddy as she watched the scenery breeze by her, simple fields of wheat and beautifully natural green pastures full of grazing animals. The driver laughed to himself as he heard the shuttering of her camera. He had been told about Dianna's obsession with photography. He let her know when they were five minutes away from the house and that's when the knots began to form in the pit of her stomach. She gave herself a once over, wondering if the simple outfit she had chosen would be enough to suit its purpose; impressing his family yet not being too flashy or too underdressed. She pondered this with every bit of clothing she was wearing right from her shoes to her hat, wondering afterwards why it mattered so much to her. _We're friends, _she thought, smoothing the wrinkles from her shirt. _He invited me here as a friend._

She continued her internal pep talk until they pulled up the driveway to a beautiful house. The front yard was covered in perfectly mowed grass, and when she got out of the car she walked up a stone pathway, passing a large willow tree whose branches cascaded from it lazily, depicting the perfect mood of summer. She almost stopped to take a picture, but was weary and worried she might be watched. Instead, she continued up the path to the farmers porch, driver following close behind her with her second bag. A swing hung from the porch, Dianna only noticing it when a cool breeze made it sway back and forth idly, creaking a bit as it did so. It was the perfect Southern home.

She rang the doorbell cautiously, listening as light, quick footsteps approached the door. Through its glass she could just barely make out a pair of long, skinny legs poking out from a pair of ripped denim shorts. The pair of legs belonged to a girl, who opened the door quickly and greeted her warmly, taking the bag Dianna held in her hand and inviting her in.

"She's here!" The girl shouted up the staircase, which was near the door Dianna had just come in. She adjusted Dianna's bag on her shoulder and looked at her for the first time, Dianna doing the same to her. She had blonde hair like her brother's that was pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. She was wearing a light purple t-shirt and going barefoot, her nails painted a pretty pastel lilac to match her shirt.

"You must be…Harmony?" Dianna took her best guess and the girl's face lit up.

"Yeah, you must've done your homework."

"Only a little, I wanted to make sure I had some idea of which one of you was which. Chord told me all about the size of your family." Harmony laughed, rolling her eyes in a way Dianna took as making fun of her brother.

"Yeah, there's a lot of us. You'll meet some at the party Saturday, but it probably will be less than half of us. We have too much extended family to fit in here."

"I wish that was my case, I've got one brother and a few cousins we don't really talk to. They all live in Georgia, so we never got to see much of them anyway. We moved when I was really little because of my dad's job. They were kind of upset and didn't really talk to us after that. I just wish they had, I love big families." Harmony smiled to herself at this and Dianna assumed she had remembered some sort of joke. Soon she heard a pair of footsteps descending the stairs, followed by a group of other steps. The first person to appear was another girl, followed by a taller boy and two younger girls. She shook their hands in order, the boy taking her other bag from its place near the door before grabbing the light blue one Harmony had been holding from her.

"Hi, I'm Summer. That's Nash, and the two coming down the stairs are Skye and Charity." Dianna waved to each of them, trying to match their faces with their names so she wouldn't be embarrassed later. "Chord's coming, he's still getting ready. But since I'm his sister and it's my job to embarrass him-"

"Summer!" She was cut off by a familiar voice and Dianna smiled, craning her neck to look at the person who was now coming down the stairs. He was dressed simply but she still had butterflies from his presence, blushing when she noticed that his muscles weren't hidden in the white v-neck shirt he was wearing. He smiled back at her, wrapping her in a hug when he was finally down the stairs. When Chord pulled away he held her at arms length, allowing himself to fully take her in. "You look great." She smiled even more inside, internally thanking him for his vote of confidence on the outfit she had been so nervous to wear.

"You don't look too bad yourself. Your hair's wet though." Dianna's hands trailed to his hair and she ran her fingers through the front of it, teasing him. "Your sister was right, you must've been getting ready for a while." She noticed Nash make his way up the stairs while Chord's sisters dispersed from the hallway, leaving the two by themselves to catch up.

"Yeah, remind me to talk to all of them later. I'd like you to leave here with at least some sort of positive opinion of me." She laughed and looped his arm through his, him leading her through the house on a little tour.

"I don't know, Chord. I won't make any promises. _Actually, _I was kind of hoping I'd get to see some embarrassing home videos, maybe some baby pictures…" She used her hip to bump him and he chuckled, shaking his head so that his sandy blonde hair moved along with it. He lightly bumped her back, not wanting to knock her over with too much force, and she giggled, latching on tighter to his arm.

"Not on my watch." At that moment he realized how much he had missed her, and exactly how much he was looking forward to spending the week with her in his hometown.

After meeting all of Chord's siblings, Dianna was led to Harmony's room, which she'd be sharing with her during her stay. There was an extra bed that had belonged to Summer, but Summer had moved out it had remained unoccupied since the spring. Dianna knew immediately that she and Harmony would get along. They were both dancers, although Harmony was still in lessons while Dianna had quit at seventeen as acting took over most of her time. They liked similar TV shows, and Harmony shared Dianna's current obsession with Adele. They hit it off instantly.

Their parents, who had been shopping for things to prepare for dinner, came home an hour after Dianna arrived. She had been shown around, and now she was playing board games with a hilariously reluctant Chord and his sisters. It was Disney scene it, though, and the competition had become fierce. She and Chord proved to be a fabulous team, their silver Goofy piece the farthest ahead on the board. Julie and Paul arrived home to a quiet house and Julie became anxious, wondering what was causing the quiet. Soon, their youngest son's shouting directed them to the great room, where five of their kids were huddled around a game board along with their son's guest. The girl jubilantly high-fived Chord and they turned to the four other girls, sticking their tongues out. The girls laughed and Skye picked up the dice up from the middle of the board, shooting her brother and his companion a determined glare.

"It's not over yet, guys. Charity and I are right behind you." She motioned to the Daisy piece, which stood triumphantly a mere three spaces behind theirs.

"Well you don't have to worry about us." Harmony joked. Their piece, Minnie Mouse, trailed ten spaces from Skye and Charity's, and they had lain it on its back in mock defeat.

"You," Dianna pointed to the second place team, light heartedly trying to intimidate them. She was trying to glare at them, but her smile kept breaking through her tough façade. "are going to need some luck to pass us. We're pulling out all of the stops now." She was teasing the two younger sisters and they playfully protested, Skye rolling her eyes as she threw the dice onto the board.

"You guys are going down." The dice had landed on what looked like a record over a red background and she and Charity smiled. This was a my play, another little video clip with a question only they could answer. If they got it right, they would steal the dice completely until they either got a question wrong or someone else answered quicker during a free-for-all question. This was their chance to pull ahead.

Paul and Julie smiled as they watched the scene unfold, the group completely unaware of their arrival. Charity was the first to notice them and she greeted them brightly. This turned the rest of the group's attention toward them, and Chord helped Dianna from her place on the floor.

"Mom, dad, this is Dianna." Her smile was warm and she held out their hand, greeting them sweetly.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you." His father shook her hand but his mother hugged her, leaving her smiling. Chord's sisters watched the scene unfold with interest, occasionally nudging each other or whispering. While his father held a conversation with Dianna, his mother looked her over. Like Harmony she was wearing denim shorts, hers somewhere between Bermudas and short shorts in length. The sleeves of her aqua blue shirt were short, and they were larger so they flowed, her small arms seeming skinnier compared to the width of its fabric. Julie guessed that the floppy sun hat she had seen hanging on the hook by the front door was hers, the color of the ribbon wrapped around it matching her shirt almost perfectly. She had seen pictures, but she had to admit that the girl was much prettier in person. Smaller too, especially compared to their family's advantage in height. Julie also noticed her son's hand, wrapped carefully around Dianna's waist. She was leaning into him, nodding and laughing at something his father had just said. Chord looked down at her and Julie couldn't help but take notice of his eyes, which were filled with admiration. A small smile made its way to his face and Julie subconsciously mimicked his action. There was something about this girl that made him insanely happy, and she loved seeing her son this way. Feeling like she was intruding on something, she turned her attention back to her husband.

"Well, we won't interrupt your game much longer. Dinner will probably be ready in an hour or so, we'll call you." The group nodded and Chord and Dianna rejoined them, Skye pressing a button on the TV remote, playing the next video clip. Silence wrapped around the room, the only real noise coming from the clip playing on the TV. Skye and Charity paid close attention, realizing the stakes of their game were running high with this clip.

His parent's estimation was right, and about an hour later all nine of them were sitting around a large, glass-top table in the Overstreet's thee season porch. Food was being passed around, and multiple conversations flew over each other in a sort of chaos that made Chord truly feel at home. This is how it always was; his big family had always been tight knit, and there was always someone for him to play with as a child. Dianna sat to his left, wrapped in an in-depth conversation with Skye and Harmony. She was fitting right in, and his family seemed to be taking to her as well. The prospect of the conversation he'd been waiting to have with his parents seemed less frightening now, and after seeing Dianna's open-armed welcome, Chord had confidence that their reaction would be a positive one.

**[To let me know how you liked it, drop me a review! I'd love to know what you think. You can also find me on Tumblr under the same name for quicker updates :) ]**


	2. Day 2

Dianna woke up the next morning a bit confused. The ceiling was higher than that of her California apartment, and in lieu of the usual rolling of wheels on pavement, she heard birds chirping happily outside of the window. Rolling over on her side, she checked out her surroundings. There was another bed adjacent to hers, and a mass of long blonde hair was draped over its pillow, covering a tan, skinny arm. The person's leg poked out from the sheets, and Dianna laughed as she heard a light snore coming from her direction.

Finally gaining recollection of where she was, she rose reluctantly from her bed, pacing over to the window and peeping through its shade, not wanting to let too much sun in from fear of waking Harmony. She could tell it was early morning by the sun's position, just barely poking over the hills. The room had a good view of the backyard, its fire pit and in ground swimming pool foreground to a picturesque scene of rolling hills dotted with scattered oak and willow trees.

Since she was the first up of the two, she took Harmony's advice from the previous night and shuffled to the bathroom, toting her hair supplies. It seemed as though she was the first to wake so she eagerly started the shower, ready to get going after fully recovering from her jet lag. When it started to steam she turned it down a bit, knowing from experience that boiling hot water created patches of red on her skin. The water felt good against her tired body, and as she washed she immediately woke from her early morning zombie state. When she was done, Dianna reached to the counter for her clothes. Not seeing them, she panicked. Internally, she retraced her steps, realizing she hadn't brought them at all. She wanted to kick herself for her stupidity, but instead she settled for wrapping herself in a towel, hoping nobody else was awake yet.

Chord woke early, unable to sleep with the sun poking in through his shades. He made a mental note to tell his parents, then got himself up. He was tired, but he knew that fact could be fixed easily. Grabbing his clothes for the day, he headed down the hall to the bathroom, pausing momentarily at the stairs. For a moment, Chord almost stopped to get coffee first, but he knew his weary body needed the shower first. As he came nearer to the bathroom, he felt himself bump into someone else. Thinking it was one of his sisters, he was about to scold the person for not watching where they were going. When he heard a noise of surprise come from the person, Chord looked up, recognizing her voice. He was glad he had not spoken up.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Dianna bent to pick up her dropped hair supplies and he helped, handing her the last bottle of shampoo and then getting back up again. His face turning scarlet, he tried to ignore the fact that she was only wearing a light blue towel, her short hair dripping beads of water onto her collarbone, where they trailed along her skin until they disappeared into her towel.

"No, I'm sorry. Um…" There was an awkward moment, both trying to go the same way to get past each other. They both gave a quiet chuckle and having figured out their situation, went their separate ways.

They had breakfast on the three season that morning, the air carrying a nice cool breeze in comparison to the sun's harsh heat. By the time Dianna and Harmony came down, Julie and the rest of the girls had already finished making large stacks of pancakes. They were greeted with the smell wafting through the hallway when they hit the bottom of the stairs, and Dianna suddenly realized how hungry she was. They all sat in the seats they ate dinner in, and she laughed as Julie began to anxiously ask her questions about her first night.

"Was the bed alright? Did you sleep well?"

"It was awesome. It was so nice waking up to birds chirping instead of traffic for a change." She and Chord didn't talk to each other during breakfast, only sharing occasional glances. They were still getting over the awkward events of the morning.

There was no clear moment of the uncomfortable barrier being broken. All Dianna knew is that Chord had come barreling into Harmony's room while she was helping her pick out an outfit for the day, suddenly over the awkward spell seeing her in only a towel had put over both of them that morning.

"I have an idea." His face was lit, and she could tell he was clearly much too excited with his new plan. Crossing the room, she left Harmony to her makeup and sat on the edge of her bed in front of Chord.

"And what would that be?"

"Oh, you'll see. Just dress comfortably and ask Harmony if you can borrow her helmet." Dianna merely shook her head, reaching below her bed to pull out her suitcase, sorting through it for comfortable clothes. She settled for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, throwing on her worn pair of faded black converse for good measure. Harmony smiled when Dianna asked for her helmet and led her to the garage, emerging with a plain black helmet."

"Do you have any idea where he's taking me?" Harmony mimed zipping her lips, dangling the face key in front of Dianna's face before throwing it out. Dianna groaned and grabbed the helmet from Harmony, heading over to the front porch where she'd meet Chord for their mystery adventure.

She sat on the swing while she waited, legs dangling over its edge because of her height. To the left of the house, their nearest neighbor was actually sort of far away. Dianna marveled at how easy life seemed here, where cars came lazily rolling down the street one by one, spread far apart from one another. When she looked to her right she noticed a familiar head of sandy blonde hair. Chord was finally coming, and he was pulling something along with him. When she realized what it was she laughed, putting her head in her hands and calling out to him.

"Really? I had no idea they even made those even more." He smirked and leaned the bike against the porch, climbing its stairs and holding out his hand for her to take.

"Have you ever ridden one of these before?" She shook her head and he smiled wider, his level of excitement reminding her of a golden retriever puppy. It was absolutely adorable. "Okay, so basically it's just like riding a bike, only better because you only really have to do half the work. Do you want front or back?"

"Back unless you want me to get us lost."

"Right, I forgot you had no idea where we're going."

"Which sucks, by the way. Your sister gave me this smile when I asked for her helmet and I haven't decided if it's a good thing or a bad thing yet." He smirked, getting on the bike first so it would be stable for her when she got on.

"You'll just have to wait and see." They pedaled through the road off of the driveway until they came to a dirt path, Chord steering them through it with expert direction. Dianna could tell that wherever they were going was somewhere he frequented when he was home. The path winded through pastures, horses and cows lazily grazing through them. Their heads barely even turned as they passed, and it was a peaceful ride. In one of the pastures, a man was grooming one of the horses and Chord called out to him, taking one hand off of the handlebars to wave hello. The man looked up and called back to him, making note of his return home.

"It's been a while!"

"Yeah, we're finally on break though." He stopped the bike near the fence to chat with the old man, telling him all about the places they saw while on tour. Dianna got into the conversation, liking how well acquainted Chord seemed to be with his neighbors. As they started to leave, the man gestured to her and smiled, and Chord nodded back to him. The old man said something she couldn't hear, the pair having gained too much distance for her to be able to catch it. It only took them twenty minutes to get to where Chord wanted, and he propped the tandem bike against an old tree, pulling its basket off and taking her hand.

They stopped at a field, its length seemingly stretching forever in a perfect picture of long green grass and spots of large, healthy trees. They stopped beneath a willow, where a blanket had already been spread out. Dianna looked over at him and smiled, Chord setting the basket in the middle of the blanket and sitting across from her. She sat on her knees, smiling as she took in the scenery. They were next to a hoard of pretty purple flowers, and birds nested in the tree above them. They were out of the sun's malicious rays, the tree's shade providing a perfect temperature. As he brought things out from the bag she shook her head.

"This is beautiful…I just wish I'd brought my camera." He grinned. The next thing he pulled from the basket was her Nikon. He handed it to her and she shook her head, her shy smile now reaching both of her ears. "Is there anything you didn't think of?"

"I've been planning this for a while, if you couldn't tell." He was bashful, moving the basket to the side of their blanket and catching her eye.

"Well, it's absolutely perfect. You're perfect." Dianna didn't realize what she said until it came out, and she immediately wished she could take it back. Blushing profusely, she brought her camera to eye level, looking at Chord through its lens. "In this light, I mean. With everything in the background, especially the tree. Look natural." He heard the camera click and didn't bother asking to look at the picture. For once he could see right through her little act. Deciding to take his chances, he brought his hand to her camera and lowered it, leaning forward on the blanket. Her breath caught in her throat and she kept her focus on her camera, mostly just trying to figure out what he was doing. His finger touched the bottom of her chin and he lifted it so her eyes met his. She hesitated, unsure of herself. She was the first to break their gaze, letting her eyes trail to his lips and then back at him, an open invitation. He gladly accepted it, leaning into her slowly.

Thunder clapped above them and they jumped, the noise having broken an almost perfect silence. The sky opened above them and rain began to pour down in buckets. Chord internally groaned, throwing their things back into the basket and pulling Dianna's hand. They ran across the field together, the rain's harsh drops hitting them hard and soaking through their clothes. By the time they reached the bike they were laughing, dripping with rain water. The bike was soaked too, and they decided that it would _not _be a good idea to try and ride back on it. Instead, they moved it and sat underneath the tree, wrapping themselves in their picnic blanket to wait out the storm. It would take Chord a lot longer than a day to do what he had planned. For the moment he didn't mind, his arm around Dianna under the blanket, her shivering and snuggling closer to him for warmth. He decided he could deal with a little delay.

They were coming through the front door of the house when the rain finally let up, laughing and shaking their hair. The blue picnic blanket still wrapped tight around Dianna, not doing much since it was now just as soaked as they were. Charity was the first to see them from her place in the great room and she paused the game she was playing, poking her head around the corner after hearing their laughter. Seeing them in their soaked state she was bemused, walking over to where they were standing.

"What the hell happened to you?" This just made them laugh more and they took their soaked shoes off, leaving them by the front door and heading into the kitchen.

"Random downpour. There weren't even any clouds in the sky either, it just sort of started raining." Chord brought over two fresh towels, handing one to Dianna and keeping the other for himself. He took the blanket from her and threw it in the wash. It was hopelessly beyond wet from the rain.

"Well you might want to get dried off and ready, mom's coming home in half an hour then we're going to Dale Hollow." Chord sighed, not ready to leave so soon. He had been hoping to talk with Dianna about what had happened back at their picnic, but he realized that she'd probably be cooped up in the bedroom with Harmony for the half hour wait. So far his guess was looking to be right, as Dianna squeezed his arm before heading upstairs.

When she got there Harmony was waiting for her, laying on her stomach on her bed, scrolling through Facebook on her laptop. She wore a bored expression, her chin resting on her left hand and her legs crossed, her face passive as she clicked between people's profiles. When she heard the door open her head immediately shot up, and upon seeing the now familiar face she tried to re-gain some of her composure.

"So…how was your picnic?" Her tone was light and filled with inflection, and she batted her eyelashes at Dianna. She stopped when she noticed that she was soaking wet, giving her a strange look. Dianna noticed and just laughed, tousling her hair before pulling her suit case back out from under her bed.

"We got rained out, literally. It just started down pouring out of nowhere. We couldn't bike back right away so we kind of just hung out under a tree while we waited for it to pass."

"You got _rained out?_ I'll have to talk to my brother later, he's an idiot."

"No, it was nice. Even during the rain. Mostly before the rain, but yeah." She pulled a random top from her suitcase, flinging it over her shoulder. "What about this one?" Hiding her face, she kept her back to Harmony while she examined the top.

"I like it, but that's not the point. Look at me." Harmony was met with a tight lipped Dianna, red-faced and desperately trying (yet failing) to hide her smile. It was the first time she had really thought of what had happened on their little picnic.

"Why is your face so red? You're blushing!" She laughed and got down from her bed, sitting cross-legged against it so she was now across from Dianna. "Why are you blushing?"

"It's awkward, he's your brother!"

"I don't care, I want to know!"

"Well…" She mimicked Harmony's position, lowering her voice in case Chord decided to come upstairs too. "We almost kissed." She noticed that Harmony wasn't as excited as she had been before. Her face had fallen a bit in…was that disappointment?

"You only almost kissed?" Dianna felt the immediate need to redeem herself, not liking the reaction she was getting from her favorite of Chord's sisters.

"Well, it's kind of a big deal for someone who's so used to crappy relationships. Having your brother around has been such a nice change from people only pretending to like me. That's the thing about being an actress that gets old real fast, knowing that as soon as the director yells cut your character has somebody but you're still alone. It's just…different with him." Harmony's smile had returned to her face and she pulled Dianna into a hug.

"Oh stop you're going to make me cry!" They laughed and Dianna returned to changing out of her sopping wet clothes. They finally emerged from their room when they heard the garage door open, signaling Julie's return. They weren't the only ones who heard it, meeting the rest of the members of the house downstairs. They were dressed for colder weather now and Dianna was happy with her simple choice of clothing. She had help, of course, Harmony letting her know that it'd be colder than usual because they'd be near the water. She was wearing skinny jeans and comfortable tan flats, her hair naturally framing her face. The blue top she was wearing was collared, with buttons up its front and mid-arm sleeves she had rolled up a bit farther to accommodate to the weather. The outfit was simple and casual, yet she still seemed to pull it off without giving it anything but an air of her own style.

Because of the family's size, they piled into two cars, Paul driving one while Julie drove the other. It came as habit and the family didn't mind separating with the ease of a large family who was used to what would come as a huge inconvenience for others. Somewhere in the shuffle she ended up in between Chord and Harmony in the back of Julie's car, the passenger's seat soon to be occupied by Nash. Paul's car was less chaotic, only having Skye and Charity. Summer couldn't make the outing, working late on the other side of town.

As they pulled out of the driveway Julie cranked the radio, Dianna smiling at what it was. A family of musicians, it had been turned to a Pandora station of instrumentals, Dianna assuming the family did the vocal work to the songs they knew. Her assumption was right, as the beginning chords of a song she was unfamiliar with rang out the other three people in the car began to sing in perfect harmony with each other. As Chord noticed she didn't know the words, he turned and sang to her. She smiled and pretended to be incredibly shy, hiding her face in her hands and laughing. He pulled her hands from her face and held them, still singing to her. Harmony just looked on with interest, singing her part quietly and laughing along with them. This continued until Dianna recognized the song, singing along quiet and hesitant at first. As the song went on, she got into it, singing with Harmony while they held their fake microphones up. She decided it was her turn to embarrass Chord now, leaning up to him and sticking her fake microphone in his face. He laughed and sang along reluctantly, letting the girl's rendition of Sara Barielles fill the car until they finally reached their destination.

Chord got out of the car first and reached his hand out to help Dianna out of the car. She smirked and took it, but didn't let go after she got out. After the day's events she was confident, starting to pick up on the little things he did for her.

Dale Hollow was a little area surrounding a beautiful lake, hills around the lake making it look mysterious yet beautiful. They parked in an upper parking lot and met up with Paul and the other girls, deciding that everyone would do their own thing before meeting up for dinner. As the group split, Dianna looked to her guide, who smiled back at her.

"I have the perfect place. You brought your camera, right?" She tugged at the strap of her Nikon, secure around her shoulder and he led her down a worn path. As they continued traveling she noticed that they were coming closer to the sound of rushing water. "We used to come here all the time when we were little. Once my dad took Nash and I by ourselves down there and we fished for hours." He pointed to a little pond surrounded by trees, and Dianna could practically see a younger version of him fishing with his father and brother. "I never caught anything of course, but it was still fun because it was guy time." He turned them through another path and they were going uphill again, away from the water. When that path ended they were higher than she thought they would be, and he finally stopped when they reached a railing. They were overlooking most of the lake, including a little dam which explained the rushing water she had heard earlier.

Chord watched as her face lit up, Dianna pulling her camera up and beginning to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. She showed him the first one, a perfect shot of the scenery, and he complimented it. She wasn't pleased though, and began fooling around with the white balance on her camera. When she showed him the shot again he was twice as impressed as he was before. This time, the blues of the water stuck out against the dark greens of the trees. The water held lines of bright white foam from the speed it rushed through the dam, and she was smiling more than she had been before. When she was done with her pictures they sat on a nearby bench, Chord with his arm around her, listening to the water rush below them. Suddenly struck with something, he leaned over and kissed her gently, pulling back with a shy smile on his face. Dianna blushed, looking at him in curiosity.

"What was that for?"

"I don't know, I just really like you." He sounded like a five year old but neither of them cared, Dianna leaning into him while he kissed the top of her head gently.


	3. Day 3

Dianna was insanely happy when she woke up the next morning. Remembering the night's events, she rolled over in her bed and stretched happily, lightly yawning before getting up for the morning. Harmony seemed to notice, giving her a quizzical glance before sparing her, leaving Dianna to herself while she gathered her things to shower.

At breakfast her mood was the same, and she took her seat next to Chord in a completely opposite manor from the way she had the day before. She was starting to love life with the Overstreets, carefree and easy, a dull moment never crossing the group. Dianna was even more excited for the rest of her stay, waiting anxiously to see what could come from Chord's actions the previous night. She didn't want to push it, though. She had enough experiences with bad relationships to know that sometimes the best things take the longest to develop.

They ate slowly that morning, taking their time with no real agenda for the day. They talked quietly, some still tired from returning home late the night before. Dale Hollow was a longer drive than any of them remembered, most falling asleep in the car on the way home. It was later in the day by the time they all woke, during the period of time right in the middle of breakfast and lunch that often leaves people wondering which meal to eat. They opted for breakfast, the favorite meal of the majority of the family.

The fact that it was later in the day brought a knock on their front door, and Summer, being the closest to it, got up to answer it. When she disappeared from their sight they heard an excited squeal, followed by Summer's rapid talking. She was joined by another voice, and as the pair approached the others began to recognize the voice. Charity, like Summer, was excited, getting up fast from her chair and running to greet the other voice. Harmony rolled her eyes from her place next to Dianna, not even bothering to look up. Facing the mixed reactions of the group, Dianna wondered who the higher pitched nasal voice belonged to. As it got closer, the voice shouted Chord's name, and its owner skipped over to hug him. Dianna was completely sidelined, the girl coming between her and Chord almost forcefully. He wasn't hugging back, though, and Dianna took that as a good sign.

The girl was supermodel skinny, her height matching that standard. Her chestnut hair was obnoxiously long, falling perfectly straight to her hips. Her shorts were more like briefs, the v-neck of her pink top falling just long enough to show what she had. Dianna tried her best not to roll her eyes; whoever this is was clearly a family friend, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset them by being mean to her. The girl clearly had no intention of even acknowledging her, though, Chord being her sole focus. Dianna felt something bubbling up in her, and she wanted to badly to throw some clothes on the scantily clad girl and escort her not so politely from the house. As the girl leaned farther down near Chord Dianna cleared her throat, clearly not liking whatever motive this new girl had. The girl turned around, feigning surprise.

"I'm sorry I didn't even see you there!" Her voice dripped with fake sweetness, Dianna not believing her saint act for one second. "I'm Maya." Taking another look at the girl who had so clearly interrupted her, Maya was taken aback. She recognized the blonde, and she knew exactly who she was. "You don't have to introduce yourself to me, I know you from Chord's show." Dianna bit her lip, trying to be as friendly as possible. The slinky brunette moved to drape her arm around Chord's shoulder but Dianna stopped her, grabbing her hand to shake it.

"Dianna." Her tone had become surprisingly cold and she was shocked with herself. Regretfully, Dianna had to tell herself that this girl deserved the benefit of the doubt, and snubbing her was no way to make a good first impression on the girl that was clearly well liked within the family.

"She's here visiting us for the week. Well, mostly Chord but us too." Harmony stepped in from her place beside Dianna and defended her against Maya, the girl she clearly had no liking for. Unlike Dianna, she didn't care about being nice around her, and she was quick to be harsh toward the tall brunette. Against her better judgment Summer was next to speak, throwing her arm around Maya in a friendly manner, clearly happy to have the girl with them again.

"Maya used to live next door to us, she was pretty much all of our best friend growing up."

"You forgot one little detail, I was his girlfriend too." She pointed her perfectly manicured finger toward the blonde, who was now looking between Maya and Dianna in disbelief.

"Yeah, when we were how old? Fourteen?"

"Still, it was great. I'm just here to visit my best friends, oh, and this cutie too." Maya was being bold and Dianna didn't like it at all, instinctively grabbing onto Chord's arm. Upon seeing this Maya's face changed. It was subtle, but she shot Dianna a quick glare before resuming her sweet façade.

Confused, Chord didn't know what to think about what this little encounter had become-a standoff. Maya was flanked by Summer and Charity, who looked more than happy to have the beautiful brunette back in the picture. Dianna, however, was not alone on her side. She had the increasingly irritable Harmony, who in just two days had become her good friend. She also had Skye, who had never been a big fan of the girl she had deemed the ice queen. But dissimilar to Maya, Dianna was not about to fight, especially if this old flame brought back Chord's old feelings. Instead, she just smiled, Chord awkwardly holding a conversation with Maya, who felt triumphant as ever as Dianna backed down.

As Maya was entertaining the masses downstairs, Harmony and Skye brought Dianna upstairs to talk. Harmony was pacing, freaking out more than Dianna thought she should be. Finally, after a moment of nerve-wracking silence, she pulled on Harmony's shoulders, forcing her to sit.

"She's not that bad, right?" Dianna was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. After seeing Maya in action she had to admit that she was pretty good, probably very used to getting what she wanted.

"She a manipulative bitch and I _really _don't like the fact that she just showed up here and expected everything to be the same. She and Chord were an item for a really long time but toward the end she got popular and started treating him like shit, and it really crushed him."

"I'm guessing she came back to try and get him back, especially now that he's famous. She's sort of power hungry." The sisters talked in turn on either side of Dianna and she liked having them on her side. Already unsure where she would stand when Maya tried something on Chord, it was nice to have reassurance from his family-especially since Maya had been around a lot longer than she had.

"But why the hell didn't you say something to her?"

"In front of everyone? Like 'oh, we sort of have a thing but it's not really official or anything?" Dianna scoffed, laying on her bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, yeah! Now that she's back she'll probably do anything to get with him, even if she can tell that he's kind of already moved on."

They came back downstairs to Maya, center stage in their living room, telling an elaborate story of a casting call she had been to for modeling. The three girls reluctantly joined them, Dianna having to sit on the opposite side of the room from Chord after Maya's story suddenly became animated, her sitting in the empty seat next to him like she was in line for casting. Dianna rolled her eyes, paying no attention to Maya's far too intricate tale. Summer and Charity seemed more than interested, playing into every word that came from her mouth and nodding their heads eagerly. Upon showing them the pictures from her shoot, Dianna could tell they were home-photo shopped. She could see a little black object, a camera, in one of the corners, and part of a window was barely covered by Maya's poor skills. She didn't say anything, though, and complimented the pictures as though they were real.

After Maya's little show, the group sat in the living room, contemplating what they were going to do for the day. When Maya brought something up, Harmony's nice shield was the first to crack. "I didn't realize you were coming with us."

"Well, I was hoping I could tag along. You guys were my second family after all." She was playing the victim, acting completely innocent and hurt by Harmony's words. Charity fell into the trap, shooting Harmony a nasty look before accepting Maya's plan. There was an awkward silence, and then the rest of the group agreed, some more reluctant than others. Dianna had wanted to stay behind, but with everybody else agreeing she wasn't about to be the party pooper. Instead, she followed everyone to the cars. Chord ended up in the middle of Dianna and Maya suspiciously. He knew there was no need for the car to be so cramped, but he kept his mouth shut. In that moment he knew he was trapped, and anything he said could be taken the wrong way by either girls. Maya, his first love, and Dianna, his new love. He hated the new situation he was in.

It was late July, and the annual county fair had once again taken over an old public field in the heart of town. They could hear the music as they pulled up, parking with the other cars in the grass by the fair before heading over. Lights flashed and kids screamed as rides twisted and turned their stomachs, causing a plethora of laughter laced with some anxious crying from the younger kids. They passed a watermelon eating contest on the way in, just coming to a close. A younger boy won it, holding his ribbon in triumph above his freckled, fruit-stained face.

Dianna and Chord, of course, were in disguise. Not as much as they had been, though. The county fair wasn't somewhere they'd be mobbed by paparazzi, maybe only the occasional fan girl. Still, they liked their privacy, so they kept their hats and glasses on tight. Maya noticed this and snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Are you really that worried about your fans? You could make one of their days by just being here." Her voice held an air of arrogance, as if she was fan-mobbed every day.

"You really don't know what it's like. Plus, that's all we've been doing for the past few months, I think we deserve a break, what do you think Di?"

"Oh, we've definitely earned it." As they walked, the group began to disperse, going off to do their own things until it was just Chord, Dianna, and Maya left. Dianna desperately looked around for one of the other girls, hoping they'd take Maya off of her hands so she could be alone with Chord. She couldn't see anyone else, though, and continued reluctantly along with them.

"How much has that show changed you, Chord? You're not the same person I remember." Dianna almost began to feel sympathetic for the brunette, now looking smaller under the carnival's spinning lights. Her voice was quiet, but the trace of bitterness she had been using since she arrived was still there, reminding Dianna that not everything was what it seemed.

"We were _seventeen_ when you left, Maya. A lot can happen in six years. But the show did change me, just not in the way you think it did."

"Maybe it's the people, then. I heard some of them aren't as friendly as others." Maya was blatantly talking about Dianna now, and they all knew it. She had no trouble hiding her glare now, staring straight past Chord to her. Maya wasn't one for playing nice, even if it meant getting on Chord's good side. It had never been a part of her personality, and clearly she wasn't making an effort to change herself. Chord had had enough now, shooting Maya a glare back and grabbing hold of Dianna's hand defensively. As much as she wanted to, Dianna hid her smirk, keeping her hand firmly interlocked with Chord's.

They both thought Maya would leave, but she was persistent, still strutting along next to Chord as if she hadn't seen his glares. He wanted to shake her off, but he couldn't. Having Maya back in his life brought back memories he hadn't even realized he had, and as annoying as she was, she was good company. Instead of directing her toward his sister, he remained between the two girls, each eager to rid themselves of the other.

Maya didn't leave, but Dianna did. She apologized and told them she'd be right back, heading for the bathroom. Before the tour, she would never have set foot in the bathroom, but being on buses and planes for a long duration had cracked her resolve, and she was slowly getting over her hatred of public bathrooms. As she was washing her hands, she was greeted by a familiar face. Harmony had stopped to fix her hair, which had been windswept and blown in every possible direction. Dianna laughed as she noticed Harmony's reflection in the mirror next to hers.

"What happened to you?"

"One of those stupid rides, it was actually pretty scary. The whole loose-bolted carnival machine thing might have had something to do with it, though." She had been combing her fingers through her hair, but gave up. Harmony threw her hair up into a messy bun and then turned to Dianna, ready to leave. "How's it going with Chord? Did Maya finally leave you alone?"

"No, it's getting worse. She's been vicious to me all afternoon, but I don't think he's paying attention to it." The two continued walking, Harmony planning on pulling Maya away from them for a while. As they walked to where Dianna said she'd meet them, though, she couldn't find them. Scanning the crowd, her eyes landed on a couple sitting on a bench by the carousel. They were in the middle of a lip-lock, and Dianna did a double take. The girl was the one facing her, and it took her a second to register who she was. Supermodel skinny with height to match, her straight brown hair reached her hips. The person she was kissing was wearing a baseball cap over his head of shaggy blonde hair. She froze.

"Oh, Di." Harmony's hand reached over her shoulder, but Dianna didn't feel like being comforted. Not knowing what else to do, she bolted, letting the large floppy hat of her disguise float to the ground behind her.

Waiting for Dianna to come back from the bathroom, Chord decided he and Maya would sit by the carousel to take a break. The chimes floated over them, and for a while they just sat in awkward silence. Finally, an unusually timid Maya was the first to speak.

"Do you…love her?"

"Yeah, I do." He saw Maya's face fall and immediately felt bad. A few years ago, their roles had been reversed. Sure, she had done him far worse than he was about to do to her, but he knew it would probably still hurt. "Listen, you were my first love. As much as I'll try to forget it I know I'll never be able to. You still have a place in my heart, it's just different from hers."

Maya didn't know if it was hurt or the need to be loved, but something inside of her caused her to put both hands on the side of his face, just as she used to, and pull him in for a kiss. She held him there, and he awkwardly tried to squirm away from her. It didn't feel right at all, especially after kissing Dianna the night before. Although they weren't an item, he still felt as though he was cheating. Finally Maya released him. Not caring what she thought, he wiped his lips, clearing his throat and turning away from her.

"Nothing you do can change my mind, Maya. I tried to make this easy for you. Not that it mattered, you didn't do the same for me."

"That's when we were young and stupid, we're older now."

"Exactly, it's time to move on. I could be really mad at you for what you did just then, but I'm not. You just proved to me that my heart really is in the right place. I love her, Maya. I'm sorry." He scanned his surroundings now, wondering when Dianna would get back. She had been in the bathroom for a while now, and he was beginning to get worried. His eyes wandered until they spotted something familiar. Getting up from his place on the bench, Chord walked over to the floppy black hat, staring at it as it bent in his hands. He knew this couldn't be good. _Shit._

"Shit…" It was the first word that had escaped Dianna' s mouth since she had found Chord and Maya, and she was still broken up. It had been given a hard time coming out, having to maneuver between Dianna's crying. "Why did I do this to myself?"

"It's not your fault, I told you Maya's a bitch. My brother's the idiot who fell for her act anyway." Harmony was by her side, handing her paper towels and trying to comfort her. She had followed her all the way back to the outside of the bathroom, where they had stationed themselves on an old, worn bench.

"No, it is my fault. I _always _do this to myself."

"What?"

"Trust people. Everybody in the cast always says that I'm the most trusting. They say that I'm the one who's the most open to new people. I mean, they see it as something good, but maybe it isn't."

"It is a good thing, it's just…"She paused for a moment, seeking the words that would make the once peppy blonde feel better than she currently was. "Sometimes people are selfish. They like to take advantage of the things that make a person great. One day you'll find someone who would never do that."

"I'm sick of looking around, though. This dating thing _sucks._ I'm sick of getting hurt, and now I have the rest of the week to deal with this. I could book a flight but what would I tell everyone else? Besides, I'm on vacation. I go back early and I get hoarded to start back up again."

"So it's decided. You're staying here. You can hang out with me, it'll be fun." Harmony smiled and Dianna smiled back, throwing her paper towels in the trash and following Harmony back to the main events of the fair. She stuck with her most of the night, switching cars on the way back so she wouldn't have to deal with Chord. She wasn't ready to see him again so soon.

He was ready to see her, though. Finding her hat on the ground had left Chord restless the rest of the night, taking it as a bad sign. He had been hoping to talk to her in the car on the way home, but this time he was in the passenger's seat, Maya, Charity, and Summer in the back. Dianna had switched cars-another bad sign. When they got home she didn't even acknowledge him, heading up to the bedroom with Harmony and Skye right behind her. Sick of worrying, he followed them, knocking lightly on the door. When he got no reply, he tried again, letting his knock ring a bit harder on the door.

"…Di?" Skye answered the door, practically flinging it right into his face.

"What?" Her tone was cold and she wouldn't meet his eyes. Realizing the cold treatment he had been receiving was definitely purposeful, he was immediately curious. What had he done wrong?

"I was kind of hoping I could talk to Dianna."

"Well, she doesn't want to-" Skye was interrupted by a pat on her shoulder. Dianna had changed into her pajamas, boy shorts and large t-shirt making her smaller than she already was. She was hesitant, her voice quiet and restrained.

"It's ok." She passed Skye through the door and stood next to Chord, who began to lead her to the front porch. He sat on the swing and she followed, but instead of sitting close to him like she had been she sat as far away as she could, her body slightly turned toward the wicker arm of the swing.

"What did I do wrong?" Dianna asked the question that Chord had wanted to ask, stealing the words right from his mouth. Taken aback, he reached out to her, trying to comfort her.

"N-Nothing, nothing at all."

"Then why her?" He was confused at first, not really sure what she meant. She was hurt, though, and he was determined to know why.

"Why who? What are you talking about?"

"Why did you kiss her?" Her voice was harsh, yet wavering. It was taking everything in her power not to cry. She wouldn't, not in front of him. Especially if that's what he had wanted all along.

"You mean…Maya? You saw that?"

"Well, _fuck, _how else would I know?" Dianna had never been one for swearing, so hearing the word come from her mouth shocked him.

"That was just a misunderstanding, Maya-"

"_You _were just a misunderstanding. I thought you were different, I _trusted_ you. It might not seem like a lot, but it was for me."

"Dianna, I-"

"No, listen!" Her words bit back at him and he sat back in his seat, retracting his hand. Her yelling at him left a strange feeling in his gut, and it upset him. _He _was the one who had upset her so much. Now his thoughts of murder against whoever had hurt her had supposedly turned to suicide. Dianna's self control had snapped, and seeing Chord so off-kilter was her price. Instead of being mad, she shrunk back in her seat. "I'm sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry. But please just let me explain." She nodded and he took that as the go-ahead, launching into his story with determination. The need to be believed had never felt so great in him, and he just hoped she'd listen. "She'd been bugging me all day, you know. Then when you left she asked me if I loved you. I said yes and she got upset so I told her that she was my first love, a person's first love is never forgotten. Then I told her that she still had a place in my heart, it was just a lot different from the one you have. She didn't seem to like that so she just sort of kissed me. I tried to get away but I didn't want to hurt her physically, so by the time she pulled away I just gave her the same speech again. I guess she got it the second time, but then she left and I found your hat and I knew something was wrong." He stopped, looking back up at her. Her face had been adorned with a pretty little smile, and when she finally spoke to him again, her voice was laced with shyness.

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"That you loved me." Chord smiled, taking both of her tiny, smooth hands in his rough, instrument-calloused ones.

"Every word. I love _you, _Dianna Elise Agron. Nobody else."

"I love you too."

"Good, because you're stuck with me whether you like it or not." He smirked and she whacked him on the arm, scooting over to lay her head on his chest. As the night drew to a close, they sat in comfortable silence, listening to crickets while they rocked back and forth on the porch of his childhood home.


	4. Day 4

Wednesday brought even more sunny weather, and they once again ate breakfast on the porch. When Dianna woke up, Chord was gone. Before she decided to even come for the week, he had let her know that today he had to do some sort of press. She had been nervous at first, wondering what she would do if Chord's family didn't like her. Was she supposed to just find something to do to occupy herself until he came back? But as she grew closer with his sisters she realized it wouldn't even be an issue; Harmony had already planned a little outing for them, including shopping and getting to know each other better.

They came downstairs dressed and ready, the day's agenda clear in Harmony's head. They had invited the rest of Chord's sisters, but only Skye and Charity could come- Summer still had work. The four girls ate a quick breakfast and then headed out, ready to get a head start on their day.

Their first stop was a little spa the Overstreet girls frequented on the days just the sisters hung out together. It was local, only about a ten minute drive from their house. The building resembled a house, white siding with very subtle purple accents. The front was perfectly landscaped, and upon first glance Dianna really did think they were pulling into a house. The only thing that told the difference between the business and a house was the sign out front proclaiming that it was a spa. A bell clinked against the glass door as they walked in and the receptionist looked up, immediately recognizing them.

"Hi, it's been a while." They laughed and the receptionist moved from behind the desk to hug the sisters, stopping at Dianna. "I see you have a stowaway."

"Yeah, I'm visiting for the week." She held out her hand and the receptionist shook it eagerly, trying in vain to hide her excitement. "Dianna."

"Laura, and I know who you are." Laura laughed half out of embarrassment and led them over to the other girls, standing in front of a line of comfortable looking chairs. Their mani-pedi's were great, each girl getting something a bit different for their nails; Harmony's were vibrant blue while Dianna's were French tips, Charity's were pastel pink and Skye's were a green barely used by the salon she managed to pull off every time. The sisters caught up with the girls who worked at the spa, knowing each by name and bits about their lives. Dianna even grew a bit jealous, seeing the hint of small town charm she had pined so much for when she was growing up. Even now seeing the way the girls walked in and out of shops conversing with the employees by name brought back her old feelings, and she was left to reminisce about the life she wished she had been given a chance to live.

This need only increased as they were leaving the spa. Somehow, word had finally gotten out about Dianna's visit to the small town, and people had been looking out for her for days. She and the Overstreet sisters were flocked by a mini-paparazzi and Dianna sighed, dragging the girls back to the car and driving off. She could already see the headlines;

_**Glee Star Spotted in Small Town Tennessee:**_

_And no, not the one that lives there…_

_Glee star Dianna Agron was spotted out and about yesterday, catching a spa day with three other girls. But these girls weren't random. Upon further research, sources confirmed the three girls to be Harmony, Skye, and Charity Overstreet, sisters of Glee star Chord. Other sources confirmed with photos that she was also spotted at the county fair a day earlier, and cozying up to Overstreet at Dale Hollow, a popular tourist sight, days before. One can only speculate the reasons for Agron's impromptu visit, but one thing's certain-she's definitely the only Glee star who was invited to this little reunion._

She let Skye drive and sat in the back, wondering what was going to happen next. Ryan would clearly see the headline and be less than happy, as well as her manager. Defending herself, she thought that at least she did _try _and keep a low profile. Hell, she'd gone two and a half days without being noticed at all, if anything she deserved a damn prize. As they continued to the mall, Dianna shrugged the situation off. She didn't want to let a simple run-in with the paparazzi ruin her whole day, especially when she was extremely hell-bent on making a lasting impression on Chord's sisters.

They spent the rest of the day shopping with no interruptions-luckily the group of people who'd been waiting outside of the spa hadn't followed them to the mall. In such a large group of people, it was more than easy for Dianna to blend in. She took this as a blessing, guessing that this would be the last day of her trip she would go somewhere without being noticed. As soon as word really got out about her being in the state, she knew it would only be a matter of time until she was faced with speculations and stalkers on her so far peaceful vacation.

She had been right, faced with a not so happy call the day after. Ironically, it was her manager, the girl now chastising her, who had been so insistent on Dianna visiting in the first place. She had been prodding the reluctant girl, telling her that it'd be good for her to take a break. Dianna and her manager had a pretty friendly relationship outside of the business part, so she was trying to get her to really rest for a while. She had even said that a town as small as his might be easy to hide in, and it was at first.

Dianna wasn't going to let stupid speculations and some candid pictures ruin an already perfect vacation, so she kept her chin up as well as her plans. The day after the salon incident, she and Chord had made plans to go to the lake closest to his house. Another frequented childhood spot, it was a continuation of Dianna sort of getting acquainted with a different kind of Chord, the one who went fishing with his brother and was his sister's dress up doll as a baby. The one who ate the crusts from his siblings sandwiches willingly and loved helping his mother clean. She loved this different side of him, where he felt he didn't have to change to fit in with Hollywood life. He could be the same Chord he had always been, just without the restraints the life of an actor had face him with.

The lake was quiet, most of the people there just older couples who were residents, with quaint little houses right on the water. There was another larger lake not even ten minutes away, so most of the crowd usually decided to go there instead. Chord picked the spot because it was peaceful, and after yesterday's debacle that's just what they needed.

It was a hot day, the humidity at a low point making it the perfect temperature for being at the lake. Dianna and Chord spread out their stuff and headed straight for the water, eager to cool off. Their mission proved to be easy, the water frigid compared to the temperature around them. Dianna was wading slowly into the water, but soon Chord disappeared. Coming back up for air, he just looked at her and smirked, crossing his arms while feigning impatience.

"Shut up!" She was laughing and he was now tapping his foot although he knew she couldn't see it above the water.

"I didn't say anything." Chord teased, arms still crossed. Water now dripped from his head back into the lake and as the wind blew goosebumps began to gather along his arms. He ducked back into the water, only his head visible now. "It's colder out there than it is in here."

"That's because you're used to it and I'm not!"

"Well I guess we'll have to fix that then, huh?" He started to come toward her with his arms outstretched and she let out a light scream, scrambling to get away from him. Her efforts were in vain, Chord having no trouble catching up to her. Slinging her over his shoulder, he started to wade deeper through the water, Dianna laughing as he finally made the move to throw her in. Instead of throwing her, though, he dipped her in the water, holding onto her arms while she shook her head at him. He did succeed in getting her used to the water, which was why he had picked her up in the first place.

After being in the water for only half an hour, Chord's back was turned when he heard Dianna wince. Turning almost immediately, he was met with a bent over blonde, face contorted in pain. She was holding her foot, and her chin was just barely touching the lake's water from her bent shape. Suddenly he was right next to her, dropped to one knee so she could sit on the other. He asked what was wrong and she motioned to her foot, not wanting to bring it above the water because of the pain. This ended up in a compromise, and Chord's eyes met Dianna's cut up foot in shock.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I was just standing there and I went to step forward a little and I stepped on something. I started to panic and I got it out but not before it cut me up a little. I can't really walk on it, I think it was glass." He scooped her up bridal style and carried her from the water, stopping only to gather their stuff. He was so focused on making sure she was ok that neither of them realized they had gathered a little audience. Soon enough there were camera flashes and voices and they both looked up in shock at their pursuers.

"Hey, can you back off it's kind of an emergency!" Chord was irritated, his tone rough as he tried to shove his way over to his car. Dianna's foot was wrapped in a towel, but the blood was beginning to soak through. The glass had cut deeper than either of them thought, but the pain was beginning to ebb away from Dianna.

The good news is that they didn't have to wait to go into the hospital. They weren't going to go in the first place, but Chord didn't want to take any risks since they still hadn't discovered what had cut her foot. The bad news was that Dianna's foot was now adorned with stitches, running along its side and awkwardly placed on the bottom of her foot. Other than that she managed to get away completely unharmed, but their beach day had ended earlier than either of them would have liked. They laughed at the headlines of what had been deemed 'Chord's heroic rescue' that night, and then went their separate ways for bed.

In the middle of the night, Dianna woke with a start. Pain shot from her foot up her leg, and she moved it in panic. That only made it worse, and she began to freak out. She contemplated waking Harmony up, but realized that she couldn't really do anything to help. Instead, she rolled out of bed and made her way down the hall, stopping two doors down from Harmony's. She knocked lightly but the door was already slightly ajar. When she got no response from knocking she poked her head in, met with a drowsy Chord rolling over to see who was at his door.

She looked smaller than usual, oversized t-shirt hanging loose over her tiny frame. Her hair was still a little wet from the lake, but it had begun to take its normal shape again, no longer clinging to her neck. He motioned for her to come in and she was hobbling, still clearly in pain. Dianna made her way over to his bed and he scooted over, patting the empty space next to him. She complied and crawled next to him, putting her head on his chest while he draped his arm around her. As soon as she was with him, the pain seemed to have melted away. Sleep came easily for her now, snuggled up against Chord and breathing in his familiar scent, not wanting to pay attention to the fact that the week was almost over.


	5. The Last Day and Going Home

Saturday morning Dianna stirred lightly from her sleep, the sun's rays managing to be only slightly muted by the room's curtains. Turning to her side, she was met directly at eye level with someone's chest. Her eyes moved up and she smiled as they locked with a pair of familiar ones, almost grey in the muted lighting. Letting out a small, content sigh, she scooted closer to him, wrapping her arm around his stomach while she laid her tired head on his chest. He smiled and stroked her hair, letting himself get lost in the moment.

Chord had been awake for a while, smiling when he realized that he hadn't dreamt the fact that she had fallen asleep next to him last night. Opting out of getting up at a decent time, he let himself relax. Chord propped his head on his hand and watched Dianna sleep, gaining peace in knowing that everything had finally fallen into place for them.

"How long have you been awake?" Dianna mumbled against his chest. Semi-embarrassed, he answered her sheepishly through a yawn.

"Only around ten minutes, I was just trying to convince myself that this isn't a dream." She beamed, tilting her head up to kiss him lightly. He was happily surprised by her spontaneity, smiling into the kiss.

"I think it's safe to say it's real." They laid there for a while, just making small talk and relishing each other's presence. During a moment of silence, Chord leaned down to her, giving her one last kiss before getting up from bed. She pouted and he smirked at her, raising his hands in mock defense.

"My mom is still down the hall, she'll definitely expect the worst if she comes in. And you know Harmony's already awake and ready to go on the hunt to find you." She chuckled and reluctantly left the warmth of his bed behind, stepping on her tip-toes to put her arms around his neck. She moved to kiss him but he gave her his cheek, laughing. "Do you want me to force you to stay here?"

"Good point." She moved to leave, stopping in the door to blow him a playful kiss. Smiling, he pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket. Dianna stifled her laugher and moved two doors down the hall, back to where her bed had been unoccupied for the night. Unlike her brother, Harmony hated sleeping with the door even a tiny bit ajar. This made it difficult for Dianna, and she turned the gold knob as slowly as she could, listening to it squeak a little. The door made the same noise as she opened it, and it closed with a suppressed knocking. Turning around slowly, she began to tiptoe to her bed, only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat. She had been caught.

"Did you sleep good?" Harmony's voice was light teasing, and she sat cross-legged on the top of her sheets, book in hand.

"I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Not a chance, I'm a really light sleeper. I woke up when you left last night too, I just didn't let you know that I saw you."

"My foot was hurting really bad last night, I didn't know what to do so I just sort of decided to go to him." Dianna shrugged her shoulders sheepishly and reached for her suitcase, looking for the few clean clothes she had left. Today was her last day visiting, and she'd have to wake up early the next morning to catch her plane. She was sad, each piece of clothing she moved reminding her of what she did the day she wore it; the aqua blue shirt from her first day, her favorite pair of jeans she'd worn to Dale Hollow, and even the floppy black hat that'd fallen from her head at the fair. She hardly thought she'd be able to wear any of these without thinking of Tennessee, of being around a large family she'd grown to love.

Today was the moment of the trip she'd been the most nervous about. The Overstreet's were having a huge family party, with as many members of their oversized extended family as they could fit coming at once. She knew he had a big family, and Dianna was just on edge about impressing them. It would be the first time she'd be introduced as Chord's girlfriend, him finally making things official the night before. They couldn't be fully official until Glee ended, but at least it was something that they knew, even if anybody else couldn't.

The party was set to start at one, and the first guests arrived at twelve thirty. It was Chord's grandparents from his father's side, and they were absolutely adorable. His grandfather was taller than most men his age and thin as a rail. He wore a cowboy hat atop his grey hair, and he had an adorable butt-chin that protruded a bit from his face. His nana was equally as cute. A lot shorter than her husband, she was thin too, wearing a dress that made her look younger than she really was. Her hair was grey too, fashioned in a boy cut that framed her round face. She had Chord's bright hazel eyes, round like quarters. They both hugged her immediately, his grandmother taking a good look at her.

"Oh, Chord she's beautiful!" His nana was clearly very excited and Dianna laughed shyly, thanking his nana sweetly. The rest of the guests didn't arrive until a few minutes after one, and she went through the same routine with almost all of them, Chord gluing her to his side and leading her through the now massive crowd of people by the hand, showing her off proudly. Soon her other hand was taken and she was pulled down a bit. Curious, she looked down to see a little girl no more than three, struggling to keep up with their semi-fast pace. Dianna stopped Chord and bent down to say hello, the girl smiling bright. She had blonde hair that fell in pretty ringlets around her face, and bright blue eyes above a bridge of freckles traveling along her nose and cheeks.

"Hi, what's your name?"

"Macie."

"That's such a pretty name. I'm Dianna." She held out her hand and the little girl shook it hard, giggling at herself.

"Play?" Macie was trying to drag her along with her, repeating her request over and over again. Dianna looked up at a laughing Chord and he waved her off, watching in amusement as she was dragged away by his exuberant two year old cousin. They came back, though, Macie running in front of Dianna. "You play too!" She stood in between them, taking a hand from each, and jumped along in between them as they lifted her from the ground, letting her swing a bit before setting her down again. They were led to a sandy part of Chord's back yard, where his childhood swing set still remained. Macie shouted up the ladder of its little tower, and soon a little boy was sliding down the slide. He ran straight for Chord who gladly picked him up, swinging him around a bit before balancing him on his side.

"This is Cayden, Macie's twin bother. He's my little mini-me." The little boy clung to him and he tickled him, causing the boy to erupt in a fitof adorable giggles, laughing until he could no longer, simply shaking in a state of silent laughter as Chord continued to tickle him.

They spent most of the party playing with the twins, pushing them on the swings and teaching them red light green light. The two took to Dianna easily, and by the end of the day it was Macie who was most upset about leaving, not wanting to say goodbye to her new friend.

"Hey, how's this? Next time I see you we can play even longer, maybe we can even play dress up without the boys." Macie smiled at this and hugged her, reluctantly going back to her mother.

By the end of the day, Chord was confident that Dianna would be the one he'd spend the rest of his life with. He'd had a hunch before, but at some point during the day it had become absolutely clear to him. He watched her play with Macie and the other kids with adoration; she was amazing with kids, and they just seemed to love her. It was as if she always knew what to say, even when they were fighting amongst each other. She held a certain level of respect with them that just came with her presence, and they listened to her as if she'd known them their whole lives. Watching her, he could see her years from now, holding a little girl with hair identical to Macie's. Her eyes were theirs, though, hazel with little bits of blue. She had Dianna's pretty little nose, and was laughing as she pushed her on the swings, a blonde boy of about five running around them. It was the perfect picture, their future right in front of his eyes. It scared him, but Chord knew he was ready for that, as long as it was Dianna who was by his side.

He'd even had that talk with his parents on his press day. Chord had been wanting to talk with them about her for a while, but he waited patiently until they'd met her. His mom had cried, apparently moved by his mini speech, and his dad had given him a look of pride. He'd never been so happy in his life. The only problem that night was that he and Dianna weren't official, but now that they were the path to the moment he'd finally be married to her didn't seem as far away as it had before. Now he'd just have to play the waiting game; he knew she was still fragile from her past relationships, and he wasn't about to push her. She deserved better than that.

That night was the night of their first date. Dianna wore a pretty flowered sundress with blue flats to match, the stitches on her foot looking strange in the shoe. Her hair was adorned with a bow that reminded her of Quinn Fabray. He wore a collared shirt and khaki pants, a pair of 'man-dles' Mark had given him on his feet. They went to one of Chord's favorite restaurants, a family-owned business in the heart of town. The waiting area was full, but instead of going through the front door they went around, Chord knocking on the side door. The man who greeted him was middle aged, brown hair beginning to bald. A pair of round glasses rested on his nose, and his little beer belly wasn't very well hidden by the white apron he was wearing. The man led them to a table in the back, where their waitress greeted them by name too. Dianna just shook her head, still marveling at the small town charm the restaurant held.

The inside was built to look like a house, with different 'rooms' they could eat in. The one he'd reserved was a smaller one, which she assumed was supposed to be a sunroom. It was decorated like the beach, white wood accents and sea shell knick knacks adorning the walls and tables. The room leading into theirs held four tables of four, all in the center of what was the family room. The walls held built in benches, and a TV hung on the wall opposite to their door.

Half way through dinner, Chord took Dianna's hand on top of the table. She felt the weight of something drop in it, and he took his hand away. She was holding a little white box, and she looked at him curiously before opening it. Inside was a little silver ring. The diamonds on it met in the middle, where a silver heart was the main focus. She gasped and looked up at Chord, who was looking right back at her.

"I want to marry you…some day." She smiled at the familiar words, the ones he had said to her when he was Sam and she was Quinn. "But until then, will you accept this promise ring? If you accept, this ring will symbolize my promise to you to be true, to never pressure you to do anything more than kiss." She could hear the next few words in her head, but he veered from what had been written in the script, making sure she'd realize that he was telling the truth. "I'll never hurt you, and I promise to hurt anyone who does. I promise to make you proud when you can finally say 'that's my boyfriend.' I promise I'll be by your side when you win your first Emmy. I promise I'll be there when you're hurt, or happy, or any of those things. I promise to do all of those things. I really love you, Dianna, and I want to be with you forever." She was crying when she slid the ring on her finger and he wiped her tears from her face with his thumb gently, kissing her before sitting back in his seat. Her heart was pounding but she was happy, letting it race for the man who'd given her everything when she thought she'd never have anything at all.

It was early when she woke up the next morning, the moon still hanging on to its last few moments in the sky. Begrudgingly, she climbed out of bed and made her way back to Harmony's room, where her suitcase lay packed under the bed. She had said her final goodbyes last night, exchanging numbers with the sisters and plenty of hugs and well wishes. She wheeled the suitcase out of the room and grabbed her bag on the way out, stopping two doors down. Chord was waiting for her in the doorway, fully dressed and ready to take her to the airport.

The ride was quiet, both tired and unsure of what to say. When they got there he helped her unload everything from the car, turning to wrap her in a tight hug. She tried not to cry, him reassuring her that he'd be back in California before she knew it. As she walked away, the light caught the ring on her finger, colorful reflections bouncing off of the walls of the airport. He watched her walk until she disappeared from his sight, getting into the car with a shy smile stuck on his face. The ride home was long, and Chord spent it counting the days until he'd see her again.


End file.
